The common theme with all these different factors revolves around the command center of your body: Your Brain.

You see, humans all share the same physical brain, but the way in which we perceive or understand the world around us is different from person to person.

Why is this the case? It has a lot to do with your DNA...

Your DNA is the instruction manual of your body. These instructions come from genes in your DNA, which tell your body what to do. The genes that deal with your brain can affect how you

• Deal with pain, sadness, and anger

• Experience happiness, joy, and pleasure

• Respond to stress, difficulty, and pressure

• Organize and manage your time and responsibilities

• Get into a rested state that is ready for a good night’s sleep

While you can’t change the genes you are born with, what you CAN DO is modify the way your genes are expressed.

Changing your diet and your lifestyle can help, but its not the full solution…

In fact, if you’re not using the right support system, your diet and lifestyle can actually work against you in the long run.  

1. YOU GET SICK FASTER AND MORE OFTEN

Chronic poor sleep weakens your immune system which means it is easier for your body to get infected with bacterial or viral infections

2. YOU PUT YOUR HEART AT RISK

Research has shown that consistently getting poor sleep greatly increases your chance of a heart attack or stroke

3. YOUR RISK OF CANCER GOES UP

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicince (AASM), shortened sleep has been linked to increased rates of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer

4. YOU FORGET STUFF MORE OFTEN

Clinical researchers suggest that sleep is critical to the process of storing and organizing the things we learn in our brain. The less sleep we have, the harder it is for our brain to store that information

5. YOUR SEX LIFE GOES LIMP

In one study, men who didn’t get enough sleep over just a one-week period saw a reduction in their testosterone levels. Those who had less than 5 hours of sleep had as much as 10-15% reduction in their testosterone levels.

6. YOU GAIN WEIGHT

A study of over 21,000 people over the age of 20 showed that those who got less than 5 hours of sleep were far more likely to gain weight and become obese over a three year period.

7. YOUR RISK OF DIABETES INCREASES

Researchers examined almost a dozen different clinical studies related to sleep and diabetes and found that 7-8 hours of sleep was the optimal range to avoid insulin issues that could lead to diabetes.